The Second Life of Nick Mason

Nick Mason has already spent five years inside a maximum security prison when an offer comes that will grant his release 20 years early. He accepts - but the deal comes with a terrible price. Now, back on the streets, Nick Mason has a new house, a new car, money to burn, and a beautiful roommate. He's returned to society, but he's still a prisoner. Whenever his cell phone rings, day or night, Nick must answer it and follow whatever order he is given.

A Cold Day in Paradise: The Alex McKnight Series, Book 1

Other than the bullet lodged less than a centimeter from his heart, former Detroit police officer Alex McKnight thought he had put the nightmare of his partner's death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. After all, Maximilian Rose, convicted of the crimes, has been locked in the state pen for years. But in the small town of Paradise, Michigan, where McKnight has traded his badge for a cozy cabin in the woods, a murderer with Rose's unmistakable trademarks appears to be back to his killing ways.

Night Work

It's been two years since his fiancée, Laurel, was brutally murdered. Two years of grief and loneliness. On this hot summer night, he's finally going out on a blind date, his first date since Laurel's death. He's not looking for love, just testing the waters to see if it's possible to live a normal life again. The thought of it is turning his knees to jelly. For reasons Joe can barely understand, this one evening will mark the beginning of a new nightmare. A nightmare that will lead him to the faceless man in the shadows.

Those Girls

Life has never been easy for the three Campbell sisters. Jess, Courtney, and Dani live on a remote ranch in Western Canada where they work hard and try to stay out of the way of their father's fists. One night a fight gets out of hand, and the sisters are forced to go on the run, only to get caught in an even worse nightmare when their truck breaks down in a small town. Events spiral out of control, and a chance encounter with the wrong people leaves them in a horrific and desperate situation.

Tonight I Said Goodbye

Investigator Wayne Weston is found dead of an apparent suicide in his home in an upscale Cleveland suburb, and his wife and six-year-old daughter are missing. Weston’s father insists that private investigators Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard take the case to exonerate his son and find his granddaughter and daughter-in-law. As they begin to work, they discover there is much more to the situation than has been described in the prevalent media reports.

Now That She's Gone: Waterman and Stark Series, Book 2

Notorious serial killer Brenda Nevins has cajoled, seduced, blackmailed, and left a trail of bodies all across Washington State. Now, after a daring prison escape, she is free to carry out her ultimate act of revenge. The targets: forensic pathologist Birdy Waterman and sheriff's detective Kendall Stark. The pawn: a television psychic hungry for fame, ratings, and blood. There's only way to stop a killer as brutal, brilliant, and twisted as this: beat her at her own game.

Safe House

When Rob Hale wakes up in hospital after a motorcycle crash, he is told that Lena - the gorgeous blonde woman who was on the back of his bike - doesn't exist. The woman he describes bears a striking resemblance to his recently deceased sister, Laura, but has he really only imagined her? Convinced that Lena is as real as he is, Rob teams up with Rebecca Lewis - a London-based PI who has a mysterious connection to Laura - to follow the clues. He learns that even a close-knit community like the Isle of Man can hide dangerous secrets that will not stay safe forever.

A Case of Redemption

A high-profile attorney in the middle of a leave of absence following a personal tragedy is drawn back into the legal arena amidst a media firestorm when he agrees to represent a popular rap artist accused of brutally murdering his pop star girlfriend. With its powerful voice, pause-resisting tension, and strong cast of characters, Adam Mitzner’s novels are reminiscent of such best-selling authors as Scott Turow and John Grisham.

The Power of the Dog

This explosive novel of the drug trade takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge. From the streets of New York City to Mexico City and Tijuana to the jungles of Central America, this is the war on drugs like you've never seen it.

The Wrong Side of Goodbye: A Harry Bosch Novel, Book 21

Harry Bosch is California's newest private investigator. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't have an office, and he's picky about who he works for, but it doesn't matter. His chops from 30 years with the LAPD speak for themselves. Soon one of Southern California's biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire has less than six months to live and a lifetime of regrets. He hires Bosch to find out whether he has an heir.

The Only Suspect

Doctor Sam Russell's wife is missing. The police don't believe his story - and Sam isn't so sure himself since he can remember nothing about the day she disappeared.Detective Hannah Montgomery sees something in Sam and his young daughter that touches her own sense of loss. As she delves deeper, shocking secrets come to light making Hannah wonder whether she's protecting a wronged man or a cold-blooded killer.

IQ

A resident of one of LA's toughest neighborhoods uses his blistering intellect to solve the crimes the LAPD ignores. East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the neighborhood's high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, lost children unrecovered. But someone from the neighborhood has taken it upon himself to help solve the cases the police can't or won't touch. They call him IQ. He's a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence.

Foreign Deceit: A David Wolf Mystery

Sergeant David Wolf has put his Special Forces days long behind him, settling down as a cop in the small ski resort town of Rocky Points, Colorado. He's a good cop who's seen bad days before, but none quite like this. As if narrowly escaping an attempt on his life, his addict ex-wife being back in the picture, and complications to his all-but-certain appointment to sheriff weren't enough, he's just received word that his brother has committed suicide in the Alps of Italy.

The Ice Princess

Returning to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life. Erica conceives a memoir about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their lost friendship. While her interest grows to an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case.

Livia Lone

Seattle PD sex-crimes detective Livia Lone knows the monsters she hunts. Sold by her Thai parents along with her little sister, Nason; marooned in America; abused by the men who trafficked them...the only thing that kept Livia alive as a teenager was her determination to find Nason. Livia has never stopped looking. And she copes with her failure to protect her sister by doing everything she can to put predators in prison. Or, when that fails, by putting them in the ground.

Orphan X

Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He's also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence assets - i.e. assassins. He was Orphan X. Evan broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear.

Line of Vision

Marty Kalish is a young man suffocating in the heat of an affair with a married woman named Rachel. When Rachel's husband disappears one night, Marty is one of the first to be questioned. With few likely suspects, the police arrest him for murder. We want him to be innocent, but the more he tells us, the more we fear he is guilty. And as the twists and turns of the plot unfold, we can't be completely sure.

Night School: A Jack Reacher Novel, Book 21

It's 1996, and Reacher is still in the army. In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he's off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind. Two other men are in the classroom - an FBI agent and a CIA analyst. Each is a first-rate operator, each is fresh off a big win, and each is wondering what the hell they are doing there. Then they find out: A jihadist sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany, has received an unexpected visitor - a Saudi courier seeking safe haven while waiting to rendezvous with persons unknown.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola.

Home: Myron Bolitar Series, Book 11

A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For 10 years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for 10 years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken?

Ricki says:"I have so missed Myron and Win and now they are back. Yeah"

Darknet

One minute Jake O'Connell is on top of the world, with a beautiful family and bright future as a stock broker in New York; the next it's all ripped away when he's embroiled in a fraud investigation, his childhood friend is murdered, and he finds himself on the run. Dodging the FBI and targeted by the Mob, Jake is thrown into a Wall Street underworld of crypto currencies and autonomous corporations, where he discovers a dark secret setting the world on a path to destruction.

Where It Hurts: The Gus Murphy Series, Book 1

Gus Murphy thought he had the world all figured out. A retired Suffolk County cop, he had everything a man could want: a great marriage, two kids, a nice house, and the rest of his life ahead of him. But when tragedy strikes, his life is thrown into complete disarray. In the course of a single deadly moment, his family is blown apart, and Gus is transformed from a man who believes he understands everything into a man who understands nothing.

Fool Me Once

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya's husband, Joe - who had been brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to?

The Whistler

Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is a lawyer, not a cop, and it is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption. But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business with a new identity. He now goes by the name Greg Myers, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined.

Publisher's Summary

Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now 18, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in 10 years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it's a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an 800 pound safe...he can open them all.

It's an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever closer to a life of crime. That is, until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long.

Steve Hamilton steps away from his Edgar Award-winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character, unlike anyone you've ever seen or heard in the world of crime fiction.

What the Critics Say

"Hypnotic...a proven master of suspense moves in a brand new direction - and the result is can't-put-it-down spectacular." (Lee Child)"I haven't read a book this captivating in a long time. The Lock Artist is gutsy, genuine and, flat out, a great read. You won't be disappointed." (Michael Connelly)

Pros: interesting story line about a unique topic, told in a creative out-of-sequence narrative, good reader. Cons: a bit sappy with teenage love thrown into what otherwise would be a hard-boiled crime novel, characters were a bit overblown and cartoonish, a few of the character voices were a little annoying.

Combine a great story with a great narrator and you have a great audio book. The story is easy to follow and sucks you in almost immediately. Very well paced. The mechanics of lock picking are interesting and the main character is likable. Just the right amount of suspense and a few plot twists thrown in. A good solid work that delivers. I've listened to a lot of audio book fiction and this has been one of my favorites.

Just finished the truly great...and exciting...story of The Lock Artist. Narration is outstanding. Along with "Wolf Hall" it is a perfectly told version of a great book. One of the NYTBR 2010 top 100 books, it is a coming of age...adventure...crime novel...love story...about a boy who goes mute via traumatic event and falls into a netherword where he becomes a "box man" for hire. No spoiler details here...Just great writing...and reading. I have listened to well over 150 books...some for fifteen minutes before bailing out...and some for over 20 hours of pleasure...this is one not to miss. I'm recommending this audio version over the book...hard to imagine that reading is better than this particular narration.

I liked this 'Boxman' Bildungsroman (or Safecracking Künstlerroman), I just didn't really love it. Hamilton builds an interesting character, throws him into an alternating narrative arc (weaving backstory and primary narrative), but then makes the primary story a predictable no-exit, locked-box mystery. That said, I still listened to it in almost one sitting. Anyway, it was compelling and interesting, but just seemed a tad gimmicky/forced at times, and a little too easy to crack. Probably a 3 star novel and maybe a 4 star mystery.

"The Lock Artist" will keep you spellbound. Here Steve Hamilton creates a character about whom we care, then puts him into an impossible situation. You will enjoy watching how young Mike works his way through this predicament, while maintaining his integrity. Mr. Hamilton employs deft writing skills to define multi-dimensional characters and to envision the world through which they move. MacLeod Andrews does a magnificent job narrating this novel, creating unique voices for all of the characters, so that we can easily distinguish who is talking. Even if Mr. Hamilton hadn't crafted such an intriguing plot, I would still recommend "The Lock Artist" in audio, just so you could hear a master actor at work. If you don't mind being kept up late at night ??? to find out what happens next ??? buy "The Lock Artist."

A dark secret is alluded to from the beginning, which is guaranteed to keep many listeners intrigued. But the story itself is peopled with unappealing characters, including the protagonist. The plot proceeds rather dully for long stretches, and the love story is simplistic and kind of sophomoric. After slogging through to the end, I decided it wasn't worth the time I gave to it.

Very slow start through the first half of the book. Bouncing back and forth in time periods is not usually a problem, but in this case it seems to hold the whole story back - can't get the momentum going in any of the story lines. The minute details of lock opening became tedious and repetitive. Pace picked up sufficiently in the last 2-3 hours to provide a decent ending. But overall I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. The first person narration forces us to see everything through the jaded, skeptical viewpoint of the protagonist so everything seems bleak. The romance is not enough to offer any light, in fact it adds to the overall fatalistic tone. Was good enough to finish the book but not to recommend.

This book is one of the best "listens" I've experienced in a long time, and all the members of my book group really liked it as well. Perhaps it should not be classified as a mystery (as one reviewer complains), but it does have elements of mystery. Regardless, the plot is clever, the main character / narrator is engaging (he's a guy you can pull for!), and the chronology of the story is effective. I like that The Lock Artist is not like any other book I've read or listened to. I highly recommend it. Now I'm only hoping for a sequel.